Distance
by Bassoonator
Summary: Eponine has always been in love with Marius from a distance Perhaps someone was in love with Eponine from a distance too? Eventual C/E. T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**OOC:** I hope you like my book Eponine. I gave her a bit of a sarcastic flare... I hope its how you guys imagined her also. Enjoy and please review!

**Disclaimer: **All rights to the lovely Victor Hugo. I own nothing but the general story line.

* * *

Something about him made her heart flutter. Something about him made her cheeks flush. Something about him made her stomach tie itself in knots. These things were foreign to the young street urchin who had long forgotten what love was. Such a feeling of being such joy felt almost surreal to Eponine. She was a criminal - she'd been in prison, and yet somehow, she'd been allowed to feel this feeling of absolute fullness and satisfaction. Of course, soon after that beautiful feeling of wonder, came the ugly face of the truth. Marius Pontmercy was a handsome man with wealth in his blood. He'd certainly have no difficulty finding a lovely lady to fill the days but would he choose an poor, unhygienic and, well, to be honest, not that wonderful looking girl? She was barely old enough to even consider being called a lady and hadn't yet matured into her full form. Her face was still round with a child-like resemblance and her chest still fairly flat.

Eponine always pondered on whether she'd be beautiful one day. If one day, she'd be clean with nice clothes and a face that people wanted to stop and look at but then she'd looked at her parents and feel a heaviness on her shoulders for the obvious truth. She'd always be like _them._ Hideous and be forced to break the law. Self pity welled in Eponine as she walked the short path to her parents' apartment on the poorest side of town. Montparnasse awaited her arrival outside the staircase, a brilliant smirk upon his... shall we say, _interesting _face.

"Eponine, my dear," he called for her sweetly - too sweetly. Eponine blanched, pushing her way through. Montparnasse yanked her by the arm to him, his mouth close to hers, foreheads touching. "Don't you walk away from me, lovely. I've being dying to see you all day. Won't you make my wait worth it?"

Eponine spat in his face. "In your dreams." If Montparnasse wasn't a rotten crook, he might have had Eponine pushed into another prison for a year for that noble act of courage. But if he called too much attention to himself... he might have joined her. Such sexism went on in the 1800's. Eponine sighed heavily as she climbed the stairs, listening as Montparnasse grunted, calling her names you might call a prostitute on the street. Eponine found pride in herself in never letting her pride slip _that _low. She finally found herself at the room, in which she might not have recognised if it wasn't for the putrid smell that the room always seemed to have. Perhaps something had died in there before the came. Or... after.

Thenardier lay on the floor, holding a bottle of wine, a drunk smile planted on his face as she slept peacefully. Mme. Thenardier sat beside him, drawing with a pencil the size of Eponine's thumb and on a piece of dull grey coloured paper that was slightly crumpled. Eponine had always admired her mother's art - one thing that Eponine might have had liked to inherited but thanks to her father's great money skills, had never been able to afford to nurture her talents. Eponine walked towards the small bedroom, barely big enough to fit a small mattress in. This is where Eponine might have lived, but you wouldn't have been able to tell due to the absolute unhomeliness of the room. Grey, peeling paint covered the walls. A dirty and worn mattress was the only furniture in the room. She had a small stack of clothes, most from almost a decade ago and far too small. One pair of boots lay in the corner of the room, her father's old boots.

Eponine hardly cared to decorate. She didn't have the money to buy anything and she despised stealing from people who may have had the same problem for all she knew. Against her will, had she done so before, but those times were changing. At least, she hoped. Reaching under the tattered mattress, Eponine pulled out the one possession she treasured in the world - a small rock, given to her by her little sister many winters ago. Azelma was dead now, unable to survive the month with out food and having no skills to fend for herself. Eponine had barely survived herself. No matter how many years went by, Eponine would never rid the guilt she felt for not helping her little sister. Eponine had only been seven or eight at the time too, but her parents' surely wouldn't spare a crust, let alone a slice of bread for their starving children.

No wonder they'd sent the twins off to live with some old lady who had lost her own. Her other sibling, Gavroche, he was safe at least. A friend of Marius' had taken him in as his own and bless his soul, was keeping the child alive. Eponine was strong willed - she could take care of herself but sometimes... Sometimes she just wished for her father's gentle hands holding her when she cried or her mother's forgiving touch when she broke something. Now? It was up to her to kiss her wounds better and pay for what she had destroyed.

Grasping the small rock in her hands, Eponine squeezed it, remembering Azelma and all the happy times. Times certainly had changed. Just over ten years ago, they'd been living it up in their family owned inn. Of course, thanks to Thenardier and his constant thieving and extreme prices, the customers soon left their lovely establishment. There was also that servant girl they had had for some years before she was bought off them by some greying man. She'd been a nuisance at that time, constantly looking at Eponine's lovely collection of dolls and clothes, compared to her one rag of a dress and small sword, used as a makeshift doll. For but a moment, a scarce moment, when that man had taken that awful child away, Eponine had wished he was taking her away instead.

Young Azelma, her parents and Gavroche were too naive but Eponine saw what was coming at a young age. She'd always been a little ahead of the game. She knew that this was coming. Her father would spend all the money, or the customers would go away, or there would be a death. All three had happened, and then they'd moved to Paris. That slave girl? She might have ended up in a palace with that man. Who knows what wealth he had? Or, like Eponine, she might be starving and lonely. Eponine longed for a companion now more than ever.

She might have even considered the slave girl.

* * *

Eponine never went to close to Marius - he was kind enough to her, but he had certainly showed no signs of affection. So, she always kept out of sight from him. She was never far though. She loved him from afar. She barely knew him. Whether that was a blessing or a curse, Eponine was unsure. How lovely it might have felt to get to know the only man who had ever treated her like a normal person! But it was not to be. She often found herself near the ABC Cafe, a small cafe in which the student friends met for meetings. She never went in - it may have been forbidden, it may not have, but she found herself stopping short of the door way every time.

Today was no exception. She looked through the small window of the two storied cafe. They usually went upstairs for the more private meetings, but today was just a casual meet up. The dusty pane of the window made Eponine sneeze quietly before she her reverted back to the window. Enjolras, the leader of the group, a tall, well built and blonde haired student might have indeed been the man himself who made the expression 'if looks could kill' possible. He was constantly moving, constantly scolding people if they got out of line. Eponine admired him for an unknown reason, but seeing him so stubborn reminded her of herself. Eponine's eyes went around the room to the other students, watching as they greeted Marius. Enjolras appeared to be scolding Marius for being late. Eponine smirked.

A dark-haired man looked up at the window. Eponine didn't notice at first, too entranced by Marius, but eventually Eponine became uncomfortable and she met the dark eyes of Courfeyrac, who had a small smile on his face. Eponine cared about Courfeyrac very much. Him taking her brother in was an act of loveliness and she would be forever in his debt. Something about him was just-

"'Ponine!" A familiar, high-pitched male voice called from behind her. Eponine spun around to see her little brat of a brother.

"Gavroche," Eponine felt her lips rise into a smile. She had a strong affection for the brother she barely ever saw. Something about him was just loveable. He wrapped his arms around her, almost up to her shoulders now. Eponine gave him a squeeze, cherishing the small interaction.

"Why are you out here? You can go in, Courf said!" Gavroche grinned a cheeky grin up at her. Gavroche may have been eleven or twelve at the most. He still had an innocence that Eponine wished so much for him to keep forever. Eponine smiled down at the child.

"Its nice out," Eponine told him, scruffing up his hair. He shrugged, fixing his hair a bit before waving his departure at her as he entered the cafe. Eponine once again resumed her spot at the window, watching as Gavroche was greeted by large smiles. Arms reached to hold him, and Gavroche went straight to Courfeyrac. They spoke to each other, and both of them stared at Eponine in the window pane. Eponine backed up a little, now feeling a little stupid staring at the men. Courfeyrac's eyes were still on her. One last glance at Marius, who of course, didn't even look up, Eponine left.

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OOC: So, chapter one! What did you guys think?! I think this might end up being my first Courfeyrac/Eponine fic, because this was originally a Marius/Eponine but wow, kinda in love with Courfeyrac. um. wow. a lot. So, please review and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**OOC: **Sorry about taking my time updating... I thought nobody was interested, but I got another review today, so I thought, 'hey, why not?' I wanted to finish my fic, "I Loved You First" before continuing this one... So, updates are going to be a bit slow, but I'll hopefully get one out every few days, or whenever I have the enthusiasm to write some lovely Courfy/Ponine love. So, enjoy!

* * *

Courfeyrac had always been the core of the Les Amis de l'ABC. He was the soft centre - the one you would go to if you needed to talk to someone with out being judged or scolded. Courfeyrac was also fair however. Even though he may not scold or judge, he did let you know when you were in the wrong, and that was one of the reasons the friends respected the student quite a lot. Caring for the young Thenardier was another reason that he was always favoured a little more among the women.

What bothered most women was that he never really showed any interest in their clean, disciplined manners with their manners and politeness. That just didn't _do _it for young Courfeyrac. He was barely a boy, barely old enough to even begin thinking about thinking about a lady, but his eighteen years had taught him quickly that you didn't have all the time in the world. But still - these girls, born into wealth and snobiness... they weren't what Courfeyrac wanted. If ever questioned as to why he never bothered to even get to know one of the many ladies that threw themselves at him, Courfeyrac simply answered,

"There's someone else."

Their story isn't one of those sickeningly sweet love stories where every thing gets sorted out in the end. Not everybody survives. Even those who do, they're not all happy. When Courfeyrac tells someone there's someone else, he doesn't mean there's someone who mutually loves him like he loves her. Don't assume this is going to be an easy love story.

Where did their story begin? It might have been when he took little Gavroche in. The skinny nine year old had been barely alive when Courfeyrac had found him on the side of the street. He hadn't been begging or crying, he'd just been sitting there, the little lost soul he was, staring at the gravel. Courfeyrac, always the one who was slightly more sympathetic than his friends, had asked the young boy to stay in his home for a few nights. Little Gavroche, with his dirty dark hair which covered his eyes, looked up, almost unbelieving. Two weeks later, and Gavroche had claimed a small room as his own. Luckily, Courfeyrac had come from a very wealthy family, as had most of the students, and his parents had basically given him their wealth in return that he live by himself from a young age.

So, sharing the wealth, Gavroche and Courfeyrac grew up together. It was two weeks after moving in, that Courfeyrac met Eponine, Gavroche's older sister. That was when Courfeyrac found 'someone else'. From that day forward, after meeting the cold, distant Eponine, Courfeyrac never looked at another girl again. It's not that he didn't wait to either. It was more that he was blinded by her - the darkness that seemed to follow Eponine was intoxicating, and Courfeyrac fell in love with her instantly. Gavroche, of course, found this repulsive whenever he saw Courfeyrac staring.

"That's my sister!" He'd complain loudly. After two years passed with out Courfeyrac changing his opinion on Eponine, Gavroche finally warmed to the idea and eventually, even encouraged it. "Ask her out for a moonlit walk! Or maybe dinner! She certainly needs it..."

And that was how the story began and stayed. Eponine, now seventeen and Courfeyrac, now eighteen, still knew very little about each other. That entranced him even more, however - there was so much more to learn about this lady.

There was one flaw in this near perfect love story - Eponine was in love with his best friend. Petty as it was, over time, Courfeyrac had begun to hold a grudge against Marius, for being so naive as to not see the girl who was so obviously in love with him. What was even worse, was that Courfeyrac realised he was doing the exact same thing as Eponine was doing - holding on. He just couldn't forget about her though.

* * *

The cafe was empty. Eponine looked through the small window, annoyed to find she had no idea where the students were. It was then she found herself entering the cafe, sitting in the corner table. Sitting in the cafe felt strange. The quietness of the room, which was usually filled with loud, laughing students. Eponine found herself passing time, just thinking enjoying the time alone.

It was then, that all the students entered the cafe in a stampede of chorusing laughter.

"That was _brilliant, _Grantaire!"

"I can't believe you pulled that off!"

"I wonder if they knew it was you?"

Grantaire walked in last, a proud smile on his face. "I do what I can for my community!" As all the students sat down at the tables, nobody seemed to notice Eponine sitting in the corner, flabbergasted. Not a minute ago, she'd been completely alone.

Marius sat with Enjolras and Grantaire, who all had an array of emotions of their face. Grantaire, proud; Enjolras, bothered and Marius, uncaring. A blank expression. Eponine's eyes searched for the next person on her list of priorities - Gavroche. Nowhere to seen.

"How did you do it?" a hushed voice asked Grantaire, who nobly raised his head.

"It is quite simple, my friends. I simply..." Eponine zoned out immediately, knowing Grantaire well enough to know this story would be exaggerated beyond belief. What felt like years later, Gavroche walked in with Courfeyrac closely followed behind him. They both headed for Eponine's table. Sitting down, they finally seemed to notice her.

"Have you always been there?" Gavroche asked, looking like a puppy who just found his tail.

"Longer than you have," Eponine answered. Courfeyrac, who was beside her, leaned in a little closer to join in the conversation. "Where have you been?"

"Home," Gavroche answered. "Not sure where the others were, but by the sounds of it, Grantaire is getting kicked out of the country." Courfeyrac laughed slyly.

"All he did was play a trick on one of the lecturers."

Gavroche shrugged, before hopping out of his seat and walking over to the middle table, where Grantaire sat.

It was just Eponine and Courfeyrac.

Eponine thought nothing of it until there was a rather uncomfortable silence. She felt eyes on her.

Turning around, she met Courfeyrac's gaze. "So, how has your day been?" He seemed giddish as he moved in his seat, uncomfortably.

"Quite well." Never in the two years he had known her, had he had a conversation between _just _the two of them. At least, not one that lasted longer than a sentence or two. "How about you?"

Eponine was unsure how to answer. Courfeyrac had this expression on - forced. It was like he was trying to keep a straight face. "Fine."

Minutes passed. Long, awkward minutes, before Courfeyrac finally made his decision.

"Would you like to go for a walk?"

Eponine looked up with Courfeyrac with a new found interest, a small smile rising on her lips. Why not? Marius was preoccupied anyway.

"Why not?"

* * *

**OOC:** FIRST DATE. YOU GUYS EXCITED.

that totes counts as a first date by the way. Big shout out to the reviewers of Chapter 1 - you guys made me keep writing, _which was hard. _So much writer's block today! Oh well! Please review, so I know to keep writing!


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